IT WILL be a historic day for Kegworth tomorrow (Saturday) as they make their Everards League top flight bow at Kibworth.

It’s a tough start to the season against the 2008 National Cockspur Cup champions.

But it’s also an excellent chance to lay a marker to the rest of the division of Kegworth’s intentions.

And new skipper Mark Ashcroft is chomping at the bit to get started.

“We want to be safe and stay up but in my opinion there is no reason why we can’t achieve more than that with the players we have at the club,” he said.

“Every game we will be going out 100 per cent to win and I believe that we have more than enough to win a few and turn a few peoples heads.

“Also it took us long enough to get in this division. We don’t want to be going straight back down as we know first hand how difficult it is to get out of Division One in the first place.”

Kegworth have kept last year’s Division One winners together but they’ve also strengthened their ranks with two impressive looking captures.

First promotion to the Premier Division means this year they’re entitled to a Leicestershire CCC player and been given quick bowler Nadeem Malik.

They’ve also boosted the batting by signing on minor counties player Simon Bird who plays for Devon.

Finally prolific Aussie bowler Jordan Holmes is no-longer classed as an overseas player allowing the King George VII playing fields side to bring in Tasmanian Tom Bevan who smashed a century on his home debut for the club in a recent friendly against South Yorkshire Premier Division side Hallam.

“It’s nice for him to get some runs on the board straight away,” said Ashcroft, who has taken over the captaincy from Holmes this season. “We’ve made some good additions.

“We can’t wait to get out there. It’s going to be a challenge taking up the job of captain but I wouldn’t have taken it in the first place if I didn’t think I’d be able to do it or if I didn’t have the enthusiasm for it.”